Toggle hinge



Jan. 16, 1968 G. BORSAN] 3,363,281

TOGGLE HINGE Filed March 26, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor Gl/I/VCARL 0 50mm A// Attorney Jan. 16, 1968 G. BORSANI 3,363,281

TOGGLE HINGE Filed March 26, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor @m/vcmez o 15 mes/2 A// Attorney United States Patent 3,363,281 TOGGLE HINGE Giancarlo Borsani, Saronno, Italy, assignor to S.n.C. Angelo Borsani di E. Borsani & Figli, Saronno, Italy Filed Mar. 26, 1965, Ser. No. 442,940 Claims priority, application Italy, June 18, 1964, 48,396/64, Patent 727,327 3 Claims. (Cl. 16-163) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A toggle hinge has a modified parallelogram linkage and a coil compression spring that acts on the linkage in such a manner as to have two stable positions on either side of an over-center position, the one position corresponding to a fully open position of a closure member and the other position corresponding to a fully closed position of a closure member.

The present invention relates to a hinge, particularly but not exclusively for doors of an article of furniture, the hinge tending to assume one or other of two predetermined positions, viz. a completely open position and a completely closed position, into which it is urged by suitable resilient means.

Hinges of this type are already known in which the resilient means are disposed in such manner as to act in one direction or the other from a dead center position, so as to cause the door of an article of furniture to assume one or the other of its two extreme angular positions. Such hinges are particularly suitable for ensuring, with a single means and independently of arresting hooks or the like, that the door of the article of furniture remains completely open or completely closed, instead of assuming troublesome intermediate positions.

The major drawback of such hinges of this type is that they require a seating for the resilient means that control the hinge which, in addition to being in general of large dimensions, is, what is more important, disposed in such manner in relation to the axis of rotation of the hinge or that of the door of the article of furniture, that is should be embedded in the thickness of the wood of the door itself or of the side of the article. This is the cause not only of an appreciable loss of time involved in assembling the frame, but, more important of difliculty in the exact centering, resulting in inaccurate positioning and hence unsatisfactory operation.

This disadvantage is completely overcome by the releasable hinge according to the present invention, which can easily be mounted in the correct position without the need to provide any form of recess or the like. The said hinge is substantially characterised by the feature that it comprises at least one first pair of links pivotally mounted on a frame adapted to be associated with the fixed part of the article of furniture, and a second pair of links pivotally mounted on a frame adapted to be associated with the rotatable or swingable door of the article, the two first links of the said first and second pairs being pivotally connected at their respective free ends and extending in cross form into extensions to the ends of which are pivoted the free ends of the second links respectively of the said second and first pair of links.

With this structure are associated resilient means adapted to act, on one side and the other of a dead cen ter position, between a fixed point of one of the said frames and the end of the second link associated with the other frame.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which il- Patented Jan. .16, 1968 lustrate an embodiment of the invention by way of example, and in which FIGS. 1 and 2 show in section a hinge according to the invention, in the closed and opened position respectively, and

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the hinge diagrammatically, in two positions which are respectively at one side and the other of the dead center position.

Referring to the drawings, the hinge comprises a frame 1 capable of being associated by means of screws or the like with the fixed part 2 of an article of furniture and a frame 3 capable of being associated with the pivotal door 4 of the article.

On the frame 1 are pivotally mounted two links 5 and 6, by means of fixed pins 7 and 8 respectively. On the frame 3 are pivotally mounted two links 9 and 10, by means of fixed pins 11 and 12 respectively.

The links 5 and 9 are pivotally connected at 13, and have extensions 5 and 9 carrying at their ends pins 14 and 15 respectively. On the pins 14 and 15 are pivotally mounted the ends of the links 10 and 6 respectively. The links 5 and 9 with their respective extensions 5' and 9 form a kind of cross with its center at 13.

The link 10 in turn has an extension 10' at the end of which is mounted a pin 16. This pin 16, together with the pin 7, constitute anchorages for a spring 17, which is a compression spring controlling the position of the hinge.

Preferably, the spring 17 is guided within a cylindrical housing 18 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) which is provided with an extension 18 via which it is pivotally mounted on the pin 7. A piston element 19 also guided in the cylindrical housing 18 compresses the spring 17. At the outer end of the piston 19 is formed a recess 19' for the reception of the pin 16 on which the piston 19 bears and on which it can rotate.

Assuming that it is desired to effect opening of the door 4, a force is exerted on it in the direction of the arrow F (see FIG. 1). This causes rotation of the links 5 and 6 in anti-clockwise direction as seen in the drawing and the frame 3 associated with the door 4 is brought into the position shown in FIG. 2. During the movement from the position of FIG. 1 to that of FIG. 2 the spring 17 is compressed, and opposes the opening of the door 4 until the plane passing through the pins 7 and 16 coincides with the plane passing through the pins 7 and 14. As the opening movement continues beyond the deadcenter position in which the said two planes coincide, the spring 9 exerts a force on the pin 16 which now tends to open the door 4, which therefore passes successively into the position of FIG. 4 and then into the completely open position (FIG. 2).

The opening movement, and obviously the closing movement also, may be regarded as the combination of two movements. The first movement is substantially that of a parallelogram formed by the links 5 and 6 and the extension 9' which carries the pin 11, at the end of the link 9, into the position of FIG. 2, and the second movement is a rotational movement executed by the frame 3 through an arc of and produced by the link 10 under the action of the extension 5' of the link 5.

Although this movement is simple in conception, some features of the system of articulation of the hinge according to the present invention, which may appear to be of minor importance, are in fact essential for correct functioning.

For example, the axis of the link 9 and that of its as sociated extension 9 are at an angle to one another which is different from zero. This angled relationship has the effect that upon opening of the hinge (FIG. 2) the pin 11 comes into a position such that the plane 4' of the 3 door 4 is disposed substantially at the same level as the plane 2' of the part 2 of the article of furniture.

Another feature is the angle formed between the axis of the link 10 and the axis of the associated extension 10. This angle is such that the dead-center position in which the pins 7, 16 and 14 are aligned is attained substantially half way through the opening movement.

Finally, it should be noted that the two ends 20' and 20" of the part 20 of angled profile of the extension 9 ,(see FIGS. 1 and 2) are cut in such manner that they serve as stops, in the two limit positions of the door 4, for one end of the link 10 (see FIG. 1) in the closed position and the side of the link 6 (see FIG. 2) in the open position.

It will be understood that constructional forms other than those illustrated and described may be adopted, particularly as regards the location of the resilient means, which could equally well operate between the pin 11 and an extension of the link 6, without thereby exceeding the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A toggle hinge comprising a first frame member, a second frame member, a first pair of links constituted by first and second links, means pivotally connecting one end of each of said first and second links of said first pair to said first frame member, a second pair of links constituted by first and second links, means pivotally connecting one end of each of said first and second links of said second pair to said second frame member, means pivotally interconnecting points intermediate the length of said first links of said first and second pairs whereby the first links have extensions beyond their pivotal interconnection, means pivotally interconnecting the free end of said extension of the first link of each pair of links with the second link of the other pair of links, and spring means for urging said links to stable positions to one side and the other of a dead center position, said spring means being connected between one of said frame members and the end of the second link of the pair of links pivotally connected to the other of said frame members at a point spaced a substantial distance from the associated last-named pivotal interconnection means.

2. A toggle hinge as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of said links is shaped to serve as a stop for defining at least one of said stable positions.

3. A toggle hinge as claimed in claim 1, in which at least one of said links is shaped to serve as a stop for defining said stable positions on one side and the other of said dead center position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,089,408 8/1937 North 16163 2,135,280 11/1938 Erickson l6164 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

J. H. MCGLYNN, Assistant Examiner. 

